A Stitch Through Worlds
by BarometricSalmon
Summary: Three years of training up Team Seven had planned to trap Orochimaru, ridding Konoha of its traitorous Sannin once and for all. Sadly, no plan ever survives an engagement. Waking up following torture to find himself alone and in a horrifying situation Naruto pulls the plug to end it all, once again though no plan survives execution. AU, Time Travel
1. Chapter 1

_Author Note: Disclaimer, no contents of Naruto have been thought up or invented by me. This is purely a work of fan fiction and is not meant for promotional or finical endeavors. This is meant to be made in respect and admiration for Massashi Kishimoto's series and all the content of Naruto are property of Massashi Kishimoto._

_Please respect the fans, and fandom of the series by remaining polite and open minded while reading._

Pain.

Pain so overwhelming that it blinding the senses. Turning all in the world that shined into an unwelcoming darkness. Suffocating the screams that accompanied such a level of pain until they become nothing but echoes of the mind – half forgotten memories that twisted in upon themselves until they came back out as hideous laughter.

This was the type of pain Uzumaki Naruto had found himself subject to for what seemed like years, but what that little kernel of logic that was left to him – that had been built up in concrete by his training as a ninja – reminded him constantly had lasted for only a month at most.

It whispered this and that if it had started, and if it continued, then at one point it must surely end.

The problem was that his maddened mind laughed at this. It laughed at many things. At one point it had even gotten to laugh at Naruto when in a twist of insanity he had come to the revelation that he must surely have become a being that was a pure avatar of laughter.

Most of all though it laughed at Team Seven. The laughter would cackle and hoot that they had dared to dream that a group of infants such as them could have set a trap for the Snake Sannin, for the omnipresent Orochimaru.

The laughter would reach a crescendo whenever it came to the idea that for three years Sasuke could manage to infiltrate and lay the ground work for a double cross and assassination against the Snake-nin and the sly Kabuto.

Three years of training, three years of anxiety, and three years of fretting over supposed secrets which in reality had been nothing more than an amusing side game for the traitorous Sannin.

Orochimaru and Kabuto had been ready. The reunited Team Seven had been unprepared. It had been disastrous. Naruto had been put down last, captured and chained like a mad dog as he had struggled endlessly in hopes of reaching the unconscious forms of Sakura and Sasuke as they had been dragged off.

As scenes and visions of what had happened came back and banished the darkness, as the pain reached a new level of ascendance for the first time in what was left of his memory the laughter let out one final parting chuckle then silenced.

Then, the young ninja truly remembered.

Kakashi. Orochimaru had cast Sasuke aside like a dirty rag when Team Seven's mentor had gone down bloodied from trying his best to extract his students from a plan gone bad. Then... then he had been taken. Kabuto and the damned Snake had disappeared with their Sensei and when he had finally seen any of them again the lazy Jonin had been gone.

His body had walked, it had talked, but it had been the Snake in control. It had been the Snake who owned the body and their Sensei – Kaskashi the Copy-Nin – had been gone.

That had been when the torture had really started. The three of them, staring in disbelief as what was left of their teacher picked up knives and scalpels and hammers, and... and tools the blond jinchuriki had no name for but soon simply associated with unending pain and laid them upon their flesh.

Teaching them. Teaching them what the cost for their hubris was to be.

As all the memories piled up and assaulted him without rank or order or reason Naruto began to feel again.

Their were tears coming from his eyes. His body convulsed as it spat out blood and bile and the burning pit of fire that his throat had become made itself known. The all encompassing darkness receding and took shape around him as the dim cavern he had been introduced to what seemed like so long ago.

The familiar, almost friendly, silhouettes of rack upon rack of torture implements gleamed as best they could in the half-light that radiated in a series of soft rays from each corner of the chamber. The once shining metal table Naruto had been secured to was sticky with his own blood, urine, and sweat. As the young ninja's eyes slowly focused through the lazy haze they had accustomed themselves to his breath caught in his chest at what he saw.

"Ah. So the most stubborn of members of Team Seven awakes finally then?" The voice that spoke in response to Naruto's gasp was kindly mocking backed with intelligence and cruelty. Grey haired and outfitted in the purple of the Village of Sound Kabuto pressed his glasses closer towards his eyes as he made himself known to his captive. The medic-nin chuckled to himself and smiled as the younger ninja seemed to not even notice him – being far too captivated by what hung above him to give his sempai even the time of the day.

"The question though is who is the most stubborn, now isn't it? Is it our little friend Sasuke?"

Naruto felt anger and helplessness and even fear flow through him as he looked at the first body hung in chains above him. Uchiha Sasuke's pale form was stripped naked above him horribly bruised and shrunken in on itself. The eyes he had been so proud of plucked from their sockets leaving nothing but gaping holes behind. As he looked on the details started to blur as each little thing he saw was burned into his memory: the brain exposed and mutilated, chunks of flesh missing here and there, cut upon cut sliced through the flesh in nothing more than the goal of pain, portions of the body skinned with muscle and bone gleaming gleefully.

"No." Kabuto's voice mused. "No, I don't think that's the case." Naruto flinched as he heard the Sound Nin slap a fist into an open palm as if he had discovered the answer. "Was it Sakura? The Haruno girl must have had some hidden depths – and if she did we would have found them without a doubt, right?"

Naruto's whole body shuddered as he turned his head and pressed it into the filth surrounding him, hoping that the smell and horror would overcome him. Hoping to be sent that black oblivion of before instead of look upon what was surely the second body in chains.

"I don't think – ah, ah, ah." Kabuto cut himself off to admonished his audience. "We can't continue if you don't play the game." A strong grip locked itself around Naruto's jaw and forced his head to move. Forced him to look.

"This really is my best work to date anyway, I think you should enjoy it."

Naruto's eyes widened. The body. The second body hanging in front him was just as badly mutilated as the first, but hung their and defied all his expectations.

The limp figure was more muscular, broader in the shoulder and stockier.

The skin, still bleeding from fresh wounds in a myriad of unstaunched rivulets, was a sun-kissed bronze instead of a pale cream.

The fuzz left on the shaven and cracked open head was unmistakably the wrong colour.

The eyes were blue.

The hand at his jaw jerked the young ninja away from the scene until he had just taken in. His vision was rapidly focusing and unfocusing as his mind tried to make sense of what he had seen as Kabuto's twisted, sadistic face bloomed into view. The body had been- had been-

"Naruto!" Kabuto's voice caressed the word as it shouted out with glee.

Naruto's mind raced around itself in confusion. It was impossible. It couldn't have been him. It was impossible. The boy closed his eyes – panic blooming up the boy wondered whose eyes, whose eyes did he close? Whose body was heaving as his breathing was escalating out of control into hyperventilation?

Who was he?

"Naruto! Naruto!" Kabuto's voice sing-songed out as the boy felt the hand move off his jaw, grabbing one of his arms and then forcing it up as the medical nin made his open his eyes.

His arm, the body he was in's arm, thrust into his vision Nartuo's breath caught. The limb was splotched. Somehow, the arm was made up of three different colours of flesh; patches of bronze skin linking two different patches of pale skin seemingly seamlessly.

"We made you all one. Your precious Team Seven together forever." Kabuto told the boy as he shook the arm in his grip slightly. The medic nin's voice completely calm again, as kind as it had been when they first met at the Chuunin Exam.

Kabuto let the arm fall back down with a thud of flesh and a clank of chains. Naruto was sure the man was still talking to him, but the young ninja had stopped listening. His mind was awash in confusion and anguish. Did what Kabuto tell him mean he was in Sakura's body? Did that explain all the pieces of flesh carved out of Sasuke and his bodies'? Where they alive in his mind, still unconscious but still there? Was he alone again? How was it possible? How -

_**Stop.**_ The heavy voice rumbled in Naruto's mind ending his endless stream of questions.

_**You are in the useless one's body. They thought distance could end our bond little jailer. Release me and vengeance will be yours.**_

Kyuubi? Naruto's mind focused on that one point, focused on the existence of his enemy since birth, his responsibility.

_**Release me while you still have the power to do so. Release me while you have the mind to hear me little jailer.**_

No. All Naruto could think was that one word. Releasing the Kyuubi would be against everything he had ever stood for. Releasing the Kyuubi would only validate what everyone in the village had thought he had stood for.

_**Do not tell me you can stand this injustice. These are not villagers ignoring you, these are not glares, these are not petty crimes. What has been done is unforgivable little jailer, and I am the force to make all you hate never forget that.**_

You are my responsibility. Naruto could not release the Kyuubi, not when it would do its best at destroying the entire world. There was no way vindication of his pain was worth that. Orochimaru and Kabuto were monsters, but human monsters. They could be stopped by -

Naruto's chain of thought cut off as Kabuto tapped a finger against his forehead. The medic nin was giving the boy a smug smile, like a teacher having caught a pupil he knows hasn't been listening.

"We've had you for weeks now you know. The project you and your team became didn't just complete itself over a single night Naruto-chan." The sound nin's voice twisted as he tacked the term of endearment on to the other ninja's name, it was a but more accurate than 'kun' now.

Naruto's glare hardened at Kabuto's words. He did not want to listen to the man gloat. He wanted nothing more than the medic nin's throat to be between his teeth so he could tear it out.

"That was quite a bit of time for me and Master to work on more than just you. And with Kakashi's body – well Naruto-chan the possibilities were nearly endless."

Naruto's eyes widened once again and this time he tried to surge upwards, tried to make his visions of the enemy nin's demise reality. Kabuto just smirked as the chains that held his captive clanked and clacked at the futile gesture.

"Konoha is gone."

No.

"Only one of the Sannin still breathes the air of this world now."

A uncontrollable red rage bubbled up in Naruto's mind as Kabuto finished speaking. The former blond knucklehead of Konoha snapped his eyes towards what remained of his body. Taking it all in, taking in every wound on his own body and linking it to one of his precious people, one of the citizens of the Leaf.

Then with a grunt that have made Sasuke proud Naruto reached out, he didn't know how but he did, but the ninja reached and simply pulled.

Naruto could feel the power bloom from the remnants of his body as the last of the seal on the Kyuubi disintegrated. He could feel Kabuto's fear as what the medic nin had believed had been made impossible was achieved.

Kabuto grabbed Naruto's face once more and shook him, panic finally showing in the older ninja's face for the first time. "No!" He shouted as he shook the former-blond again and again.

Finally smiling Naruto stared directly into Kabuto's eyes and for the first time since he had awoken, the first time in what seemed like ages he cleared his dry and scratchy throat and spoke.

"Yes."

Kabuto let go of Naruto and let him fall back to the table, his captive forgotten as the medic nin sent jutsu after jutsu at the body hanging before him.

As Naruto fell all he could think about was how soft his voice sounded now. With all that had happened to him, even with the changes, it shouldn't have sounded so... nice, should it have?

Letting out a pleasant chuckle Naruto's vision blurred as he felt tears fall down his cheeks. He knew that the both of them would die soon. The Kyuubi's power was enough that on release he and Kabuto would both be reduced down to nothing but ash.

Naruto just sighed, it would be good to see everyone again.

Then, coinciding with one last scream of frustration and rage from Kabuto, an unbearable heat bloomed and the world went white.

_**Do not think I will just let you off as simply as this little jailer, if you wished for death then you should have made a deal with the Shinigami. You have given me this world and in turn I will exercise my right of gratitude. I do hope you learn to enjoy your new prison.**_

Feeling as if he was being choked by the whiteness that surrounded him Naruto finally felt panic start to settle upon his mind again as pain rose again across his body.

It was like he was being pulled apart.

– –

Naruto stared blankly into the stream in front of him. His hands mindlessly scrubbing his arms slowly as they tried to rub out the dried blood covering his scabbed flesh.

The Kyuubi was gone from him, but it had sent him... away as he had freed it. He had awoken perched precariously at the very top of a tall tree. The swaying of the grand giant had done nothing to help his disorientation at waking up from what he had known – _known –_ was to be his death.

A lump in his throat formed as he remembered the sight he had been faced with upon regaining consciousness.

Konoha.

A Konoha from the past, a Konoha untouched by the invasion during the Chuunin Exams. The Konoha of his youth, when everything had still been innocent and earnest. When it had just been the excitement of being a ninja and finally working towards the ability of being recognized.

Naruto smirked as a bittersweet expression took over his face. Recognition. That wasn't something that would end up happening now.

The reflection that mirrored Naruto's face as he did his best to clean this new and battered body that was now his was simply not Naruto. It was new. Softer. The short crop of hair that was regrowing on his scalp was nowhere near the bright, electric yellow that had made him so easy to spot. Now it was a boring, medium brown, the only thing exciting about it was the pale red colour that shaded strands in streaks at shocks that promised to at least give him interesting, natural highlights once it grew out.

The skin on his face was three shaded, the same two pale tones along with the more jarring bronze that Kabuto had showed coloured his arm and assumingly this entire body.

Dark eyes. Not green. Not blue. But a black that made Naruto choke up every time he looked at them and realized that they were now his.

Which was a whole 'nother problem Naruto admitted as he fell back against the bank of the stream with a sigh. The Kyuubi had said he was in the body of the "useless one" and the bodies Kabuto had shown off had been Sasuke's and his own.

Which made him in Sakura's body.

Which made him a girl.

Which he had no clue in hell what that even meant, but was extremely thankful that whatever the Kyuubi had done to send him into the past had also found some clothes for him somewhere.

Even if they were green and not orange.

A lot of cool people wore green, Guy and Lee for example.

Standing up and brushing off the sleeveless green tunic that had been bestowed upon him the wished that wherever the Kyuubi had picked up his attire he could have snagged some weapons too. Naruto stared at the charcoal grey pants he had on and figured he should just be thankful that they were loose, comfortable and most of all pants – even if they didn't come equipped with a single shuriken or kunai to name.

There wasn't much to say about the sandals, they were sandals. They matched the pants and did their job. Though if his arms hadn't been showing he probably would have gotten some more bandaging to cover up the rest of his skin being showed off by them. The splotchy three colours melding together without a single stitch like they did was almost more creepy than if he had been some needled together monster.

"I'm alive though." Naruto told himself, trying his best to get used to how calm and soft his voice sounded now.

Nodding to himself with some new found confidence Naruto looked at the tree he had climbed down from. Just a few hops and he could be back at the top looking from afar at Konoha.

Looking at home.

The ninja shook his head at that thought, he was... he was a different person now and in the past on top of that. No one looking even slightly the way he did and at his age should be near the village, not when he was obviously a ninja. He had in fact probably been spotted already when he first woke up and a capture team would be mobilizing.

Which meant he needed to be gone.

Turning his back on grand tree Naruto began to walk the other way, feeling out his new form. Find his steps sure as ever the boy bent towards the ground and shot off running.

He wouldn't be gone long he told himself, he just needed to find someway to get in.

To be recognized once anew.

And this time, he could change things.

It would be good to see everyone again.

_That's the wrap of the first chapter. Others should be coming soon after I deal with my other business (got some forum based RP's I am involved in that need posting) and if I'm not lazy chapter two should come out later this very day (July 11, 2013 based off Eastern Standard Time - a Thursday)._

_I almost ended it at the Kyuubi's last speaking part, but I would rather readers know my skill and intention as a writer than mislead them with a stand alone piece that could be considered quite enticing by some and go many different ways._

_Review with any thoughts and I shall do my best to respond respectfully as possible._


	2. Chapter 2

_Author Note: Disclaimer, no contents of Naruto have been thought up or invented by me. This is purely a work of fan fiction and is not meant for promotional or finical endeavors. This is meant to be made in respect and admiration for Massashi Kishimoto's series and all the content of Naruto are property of Massashi Kishimoto._

_Please respect the fans, and fandom of the series by remaining polite and open minded while reading._

Breathing heavily as he took refuge in the thick foliage of the one of the older oaken giants that populated the forests around Konoha Naruto did his best to stifle the sound of each and every gasp his new body was taking in to just try and keep going.

Leaning against one of the heavy branches surrounding him the former-blond shook his head and ended his breathing in a long sigh. Who would of thought becoming a patchwork monster out of a mad medic nin's bad dreams would play havoc with your endurance?

Kabuto could have at least gone to the lengths to make him into a super patchwork monster when he had... had mushed the three of them together.

"Ewww." Naruto vocalized as he winced at where his thoughts had gone. That was definitely not healthy. Peering out from between the leaves and catching sight of the flitting shadows of his pursuers Naruto winced again – it was especially unhealthy at a time like this.

His eyes bouncing back and forth between the two figures he had spotted tracking him Naruto tensed as he readied his body to move whenever his enemies (though this was a pair of Konoha nin so the friendly opposition, maybe?) gave him a gap to work with. If he played his cards right and stayed careful a battle like this should end up more like a horribly perverse game of hide-and-seek than an actually fight. Which considering that he didn't actually want to hurt either of the two people following him and that he had no idea what he could actually do at the moment was most likely –

Naruto's eyes widened and he did his best to shift his body out of the way as a pair of kunai – one on target enough to slice the green fabric of his tunic just above his shoulder as it passed – thudded into the tree trunk behind him.

Knowing that whoever had been sent to track him wouldn't attack so crudely without being able to follow it up Naruto decided to drop out of his former hiding spot entirely, flipping out of the leaves and towards the trunk below him just as a fist and the connected body to it blurred past him and made a loud, intimidating crack as the assault came together with solid wood.

Naruto's mind raced as he tried to figure out where he had gone wrong. He had made it a hobby of his to deceive and disengage from ninja the village over as a kid after all, in a full bloom forest like this and with a head start his escape should have been as easy as a D-rank!

Feeling like he was grabbing at straws the former-blond groaned as his memory finally grabbed onto something and waved it about as enthusiastically as he had done with his original forehead protector – it had been a hand, fully extended, not a fist that had lead the attack against him just a few seconds ago.

Twisting in the air as he landed on the tree trunk Naruto felt like throwing up as he got sight of a white-eyed, black haired Chuunin with a hand that looked like it had been dipped in sawdust diving after him in pursuit. A Hyuuga. They had found him using a freakin' Hyuuga.

It was like cheating.

For a moment Naruto realized he got to have the pleasure unique to the entire rest of the ninja world; the righteous indignation that came along with being an enemy of Konoha. Then for the first time since landing in this situation Naruto formed his chakra in order to use a jutsu.

Grinning as nothing seemed to be really wrong with the energy as it flowed into his body the once-and-hopefully-again Konoha ninja poofed out two shadow clones and sent them to slow down his first pursuer.

Then he turned around into a face full of katana.

Feeling his heart as it tried to burst from his chest Naruto bit the inside of his mouth and choked back a whimper as the only defense he could muster was to meet the blade with his forearm, steel-to-flesh. The wound hurt, but it was nothing compared to the torture he had endured for weeks and weeks so Naruto just bottled the pain away somewhere and slipped past his attacker by rocketing forward full jump.

As he crossed the space between his former perch and his new one Naruto almost floundered in the air as he found himself not recognizing either of his opponents at all.

Dark laughter seemed to echo out in his mind as his thoughts flowed like oil and whispered to him that if he didn't recognize them, not even in passing, that they probably had already died in the future before anything important went down and that only meant one thing.

He could go all out and kill them if it was necessary for him to escape – they were doing the same already anyway especially the sword-wielding bast-

Naruto cut his own thoughts off by slamming into the tree he had meant to land on, getting a bloody face out of the bargain but shutting up whatever was going on in his mind. He didn't care if it meant his chance at making it all right would end here and now – he was not going to drop to the level of killing comrades.

Even if they didn't know he was on their side and couldn't be convinced of it. Doing so would just have been in complete opposition to what he wanted to stand for.

Turning to meet the weapon user as he landed Naruto cleanly dodged his first stroke, shuddering as it tore an entire chunk out of the tree instead of just slicing the trunk. The sword wielder, a short brown haired woman with practically as many scars as Ibiki (and what looked like scars for eyebrows even) and decked in the standard Chuunin uniform and vest, smirked at Naruto.

The former-blond gulped and leaped back again dodging the next strike as it whistled through the air and then blanched even more as the memories of his two clones deaths came to him (though they had managed to get a punch of two in between all their dodging) fighting this chick and the Hyuuga guy would not make for a good day.

Starting to go through the hand signs again for more clones Naruto had to stop the motion in order to flip backwards as the katana-woman went in for a killing thrust. Coming out of the flip only to see smirk-face to have been joined by her Hyuuga compatriot, who like every other Hyuuga guy Naruto had seen was sporting long hair and face that could have been made from clay, the former-blond began to seriously try and consider how he could get out of this.

Smirk-face tightened her grip on her sword and took a step forward, but otherwise made no move to attack – yet.

"Sorry Spy-chan, but I'm not for crowds y'know? Wouldn't want to get my arm all out of whack from swinging too much." As she spoke Smirk-face massaged the shoulder of her blade arm with her other hand, all the while extending her other arm out fully and tilting the blade towards Naruto.

Naruto, in turn, just growled. The woman's voice and mocking manner was too close to the recent memories of Kabuto to not piss him off and he found himself struggling to keep his mind from leaving the area marked 'non-violent solutions to our current problems'.

_Kick their asses!_

Naruto's eyes widened once again and his heart beat sped up as the voice called out in his mind. There was no way that could be the Kyuubi, could it? It was he gone and he had felt it! Shaking off what he hoped wasn't some newly found madness of his Naruto turned his attention back to the matter at hand only to find that the Hyuuga had apparently decided he got a turn to talk to.

"...destiny for you to be defeating. Your continuing defiance is laughable and you should..." Naruto immediately did his best to block out the crap Captain Bland was talking about – he had heard it all before after all and it still made him angry as ever – and tried to take stock of his avenues of escape that the two hadn't covered.

Sadly, despite their personality faults the pair were good. There really wasn't much of an option besides -

_Kick. Their. Asses. Oh, and if you even think about mistaking for that wet, old furball of yours again I'll find a way to beat you all the way back into the future!_

Naruto's face scrunched up and the boy realized it must have made for quite a sight as Smirk-face started to frown and her brow furrowed. The former-blond couldn't help it though the voice almost sounded like... like Sakura.

But, that was impossible.

"...you should already realize that the loss if yours and submit to your capture. I understand without a doubt that you have already recognized me for who and what I am and in the face of this and with the reflection of your own pedigree..." Captain Bland was still rumbling along as easily as ever just taking all the time he could get to spill out his bullcrap.

Even Smirk-face seemed to be a bit annoyed by it at this point.

_Pedigree? PEDIGREE! Are you just going to let him talk at us like that? I'll kill him myself if you don't solve this with some violence right now! Stop thinking about every little thing and just do what I say!_

_Kick their asses!_

"If you do not stand down now, you shall face me in the full capacity of my abilities and just as your pitiful clones be reduced down to nothingness." Captain Bland finished whatever his speech had been and similarly to Smirk-face finally took a step forward and extended his arms.

Letting out a full on growl that put his response to Smirk-face's taunting to shame Naruto felt his anger rise to match the Sakura-esque voice's own. Dropping into a combat stance Naruto reached out for some of his chakra to help augment his abilities since he had no weapons to speak of available to him other than his body.

_Hahaha! That's it!_

Let's do this.

Naruto wasn't sure if the last thought was just his, or the voices, or a mixture of both, but heeding the voice's earlier advice he dropped the thought as soon as it came. Now was not the time.

As he grasped the chakra he had grabbed for the former-blond found it flowing easier and quicker than he had ever managed before.

Seemingly running low on patience and seeing that their target had chosen combat over surrender the katana-wielding Chuunin took her sword in both hands and drew back in line with her leg, preparing for a strong strike to stop things before it began.

As she shifted her foot forward to ready herself though Naruto moved. Flying past the woman and her blade with more speed than he had shown in the earlier exchanges Naruto went for the Hyuuga. Slamming into the man's confidence and defenses the former-blond bashed aside the responding juken strike with his elbow and then followed it up with a chakra enhanced open-palm blow straight to his opponents chest.

Captain Bland grunted and went flying off the tree trunk the trio had been perched on – his look of surprise priceless.

Ducking to the ground, practically in a split, and spinning around Naruto dodged under a horizontal slash from Smirk-face, catching the woman's sword blade mid-strike with the heel of his hand Naruto smirked in turn as the weapon snapped loudly – half the blade twirling off out of sight from the force of the blow.

"Sorry, I'm not one for being cut – I'm sure you understand." Naruto almost shivered at how sinister his new voice sounded as its calm, soft tones turned to a sickly-sweet facade draped over a core of hard and chilling steel.

The woman facing him in turn frowned quietly as she slashed downwards with the remnants of her blade forcing Naruto to roll out of the way before coming up on her left flank.

Naruto's smirk turned into an out and out grin as the reminder of his enemy's blade shattered under a punch as his enemy used the last of her weapon to block a blow to her ribs. Naruto caught Smirk-face's response, an down-driving elbow that was aiming for his neck, on his undamaged arm before pushing away from the engagement.

Landing a few feet away Naruto took the time to gather his breath as Smirk-face tucked her now useless blade hilt into her vest and was rejoined by a much more cautious – and stiffer – moving Hyuuga.

The pair looked much more serious now, their attention clearly focused on the target now that things had turned out to not be as easy as they would appear. Afterall, the two Chuunin had thought they were chasing down some amateur, weird looking, fifteen year old girly of a spy fueled off only bravado and stupidity.

Nartuo found himself breathing heavily and remembered that just running away from the two he had been almost winded – which was a shame, as otherwise he would be having the time of his life. His chakra had never flowed as easily as it was now and it was enhancing ever single blow he landed without him even to need to think about it.

Simply to put it, it was amazing.

The two Konoha nin iniated the assault this time, coming in in a coordinated attack from both sides. Naruto evaded the first blows, twisting his body around a pair of flickering juken strikes from the Hyuuga before meeting the swordswoman's charge by slamming his knee towards her chest.

The blow was blocked by a crossed arms defense from Smirk-face, but still sent the woman stumbling backwards with the force of the hit.

Captain Bland rallied and scored a hit – which thankfully missed any of his target's tenketsu, but still hurt like he had his flesh thrown into a fire – as Naruto turned and rewarded the Hyuuga with a snap kick that caught him across the jaw.

It was the former-blond's turn to furrow his brow as the blow did a lot less than what his earlier strikes had conditioned him to excpect.

"Tire her out!" Smirk-face shouted to her partner as she grabbed kunai from a holster – five for each hand – and threw them all out at once in a murderous arc.

Naruto scowled at the 'her' comment – even if it was technically true now – as he dodged between the storm of thrown blades coming his way; bits of self doubt from earlier on in the fight coming back as the Hyuuga in front of her nodded at his partners advice as he slipped strike in between the barrages of kunai flying around the two of them.

Naruto traded blows with Captain Bland again taking a flesh searing, knife hand blow across the surface of his neck for an elbow to the Hyuuga's gut that had him twitch in pain, but didn't send him flying.

That was bad. His strikes where landing more solidly than they had even when he was back in his actual body before everything that had happened had happened, but they weren't being the grand advantage he had believed he was going to have after the first couple of hits.

Worse yet, despite being able to feel more than enough chakra still swirling around inside of him, Naruto was finding that the fluidly flowing feel he had gotten from his reserves earlier was quickly drying up and returning to its stubborn as ever, uphill-both-ways standard that he was used to.

Dodging another blow from the Hyuuga that was aimed for the center of his body – damn the prick, but he had gone for his heart just then – Naruto continued to duck and weave between waves of bladed fury as the situation quickly seemed to revert back to square one.

Naruto gulped in air between dodges as suddenly the barrage of blades stopped, but the Hyuuga continued. Taking a grazing blow across his ribs for his curiosity Naruto's eyes widened as from somewhere Smirk-face (who was back to smirking smugly) had pulled another katana and was readying herself for a charge.

Seeing that Naruto had seen her the weapon using Chuunin smirked turned up all the way across her scarred face and to her ears. "Time to end this Spy. No hard feelings, we are trying to take you alive!"

Ducking under another blow from Captain Bland Naruto felt a shiver of panic across his body as his other opponent started her charge. If this was the extant of his second chance it rather sucked.

_Pfff, it isn't the situation that sucks, just you idiot._

Wishing he could snort at how unhelpful the voice in his head was finally decided to be after it had gotten him into this mess Naruto sadly found himself having to try and think of something good to think about as his impending doom was descending upon him.

_Use the body replacement technique idiot._

Eyes widening and a full body sigh shaking through him Naruto swiveled around Captain Bland, putting himself mere inches away from the second chuunin's blade before flashing through a series of hand signs.

"Kawarimi!" Naruto shouted, feeling a relief he had never felt while just training with the technique as it wrenched him away in time to see some poor log split in half vertically by a particularly frustrated juken strike and then cut into quarters by a horizontal slash from Smirk-face's katana.

Trying to take him alive indeed.

_Alright idiot, just let your body do what it thinks best now, or you'll completely wreck our chances at being awesome with your stupidity._

His eyebrows raising at the voice giving him advice before he even had started to think on what to do next Naruto found himself never-the-less following the advice, his hands flashing through hand sign after hand sign as his opponents finally found the tree limb he had retreated to well above him.

The two Konoha nin raced towards him as Naruto felt he was almost finished with his hand signs, still a good distance away.

He could see the frustrated looks on their faces again as he fingers curled through the last movement and he felt a burning sensation gather in his belly like the fires of a furnace.

His chakra spiked as his two opponents increased their pace, determined to reach him for making a fool of them with an academy level technique.

Naruto opened his mouth, feeling as if he had gathered all the fury of a volcano within himself and then words came unbidden to his mind.

"Katon: Grand Fireball." Naturto spoke quietly instead of his normal shout, but the two Konoha nin had closed enough distance to hear the calm statement though. Smirk-face stumbled a step, almost tripping upon hearing what the kid before her had said while Captain Bland's white Hyuuga eyes widened.

Then Naruto released all the build fury of his current situation, of all the things that had happened to get him where he was and all that he had lost.

The fireball seemed to grow as it flowed from his mouth, obscuring his view of the two older nin, then as it grew larger and larger, his vision was filled with nothing but the roiling red and orange flames of a jutsu that had never been his and that he shouldn't be able to do.

The explosion was magnificent.

Naruto had to cover his face as a hot, dry wind was kicked up from all the displaced air and even after the technique had flared and gone the area was blistering with heat that the former-blond realized did well to reflect the feelings he had been trying his best to squash since his return.

Sighing, Naruto looked upon the section of Konoha's forest he had set on fire on purpose. It was ugly.

Turning his back on the scene Naruto turned and ran, he could feel the chakra signatures of the two ninja he had fought and they didn't seem to be in critical condition. Now was the best time for him to get out.

Jumping wearily from tree limb to tree limb, his mind in turmoil over a thousand different things, Uzumaki Naruto made his escape from the Land of Fire.

_Here's the second chapter. A bit later than expected but I'm sure some of you have been just as busy as I with the fall semester of school coming up soon. It may seem a bit odd but I am going to try and get this story to have one update of at least 3,000 words every day until I hit a point where I'm not sure where I want the plot to go. So far I think we'll get a good handful of chapters before that happens._

_After all, as one of the writers I respect most said once, "The difference between a professional and an amateur is the ability to get up and write every single day. Until you got do that you are nothing but a gifted amateur."_

_Pretty rough, but I love writing and as I've been trying to get short stories published for actual money I've realized more than ever how true it can be._

_On less personal notes: Math Dean and Von Kreuz, you two are awesome, my second and third reader and my first and second reviewers. Similar thanks to: Bokormen, Echo717, Nakiera, acerbus321, katTheCharmer86, lildevil95, and sovall for the follows. Shadows of Avalon I appreciate your confidence in me by naming me a favourite already._

_I hope I made the combat scenes here somewhat interesting._


	3. Chapter 3

_Author Note: Disclaimer, no contents of Naruto have been thought up or invented by me. This is purely a work of fan fiction and is not meant for promotional or finical endeavors. This is meant to be made in respect and admiration for Massashi Kishimoto's series and all the content of Naruto are property of Massashi Kishimoto._

_Please respect the fans, and fandom of the series by remaining polite and open minded while reading._

Seagulls whirled through the air, their echoing cries melding together merrily with the calm lapping of the not-quite-waves the sea tossed gently against the shore. The tranquility of these sounds intermixed with the random but practiced chaos that rang out as the local inhabitants woke up and went about their tasks in their small village.

Fisherman laughing quietly as one of their compatriots groaned upon their greeting or returned it only with a slack faced glare that each and everyone of them knew was left over from a night of overindulgent drinking.

The discordant humming of the young women working in the village's modest single story inn and the often interruptions of those sounds as the sharp tongued, elderly matron of the established cracked down on her workers for spending more time watching the men ready themselves for a day at sea rather than work.

The rolling noise of boiling water and sizzling sounds of a cook at work at the lone food stand that served its varied menu of 'whatever we have (and that's fish and mighty little else!)' to those residents too tired or out of luck to feed themselves along with the occasional traveler.

All these sounds washed past Naruto as he found himself – looking ragged, tired, and every single other descriptor that signified the down and out drifter combined – sitting on a corner stool at the counter of a nameless food stand in what was most likely one of the nameless little villages that dotted the cost of the Land of Waves.

He had been there since before the owner had even opened his business up and practically given the limping old man a heart attack from surprise – after all, a man who woke before dawn and prided himself on being at work before the first rays of light danced upon the water never expected to be beat to his own counter.

Once the older man had recovered he and Naruto had exchanged little in the manner of conversation; for the most part the whole situation had gone along the lines of a terse pleasantry or vague question given out on the owner's half followed up by equally vague mutterings or noncommittal grunts from the former-blond.

After one such exchange the man had just shook his head and gone back to his cooking before returning shortly with a tea mug filled to the brim with simple, but hot, water. He had told Naruto to take the cup and Naruto had in turned thanked him – an exchange of kindness and pleasantry that was the one honest interaction between the two.

Sitting there now Naruto's eyes stared but remained completely unnoticing as the old man directed his few regular customers away from what he saw as an odd, possibly dangerous young girl who was without a doubt a ninja. Between the loose, unrestrictive clothing she was wearing, the bloodied bandage wrapped about one arm, and the odd skin that ranged its way through three completely different tone sets it was clear to him that the longer his mysterious first customer was lost in thought the better it would be for everyone.

Maybe she would sit there all day with the steam coming off her drink twisting about her face, but if it meant she disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared with the next dawn he was alright with that.

Naruto for his part had once more forgotten about the comforting draft of heat that was helping to release the tension from his exhausted flesh. In fact for all extents and purposes he had forgotten even about the drink the heat was coming off or the little shop and its owner that he had mindlessly chosen to rest at.

His mind instead was completely turned upon the tangled web of madness that had become his life. At some moments now he found himself remembering the long sessions of torture he had been subject to at the hands of Kabuto and Orochimaru and wishing to be in such a position again.

Just wishing for there to be any sort of clarity left in his life.

On top of all that was the whole incident with the two Konoha chuunin. With the fact that he had fought and even to a point enjoyed fighting what should have been his comrades. He had even unleashed a potentially deadly technique on the two just to maintain his existence – an existence which in all honesty shouldn't even exist, not if this was really the past.

Worse yet, if this was all real and not some horrible genjutsu (if only it could be something so normal) then that meant that he had sacrificed an entire world for his own selfish desires. He, Uzumaki Naruto, had been so lost to despair and rage that he had unleashed the Kyuubi.

With the old man Hokage gone, with the Fourth gone, would there have been anyone back in his reality able to stop the nine-tails if its goal truly had been the destruction of every human down to the last infant? Was Uzumaki Naruto a name that should be cursed through out all the heavens for choosing to reap the entirety of the world because he had lost his precious people?

Feeling his body begin to react to his thoughts Naruto struggled and wrangled with his thoughts as he felt his heart rate start to race and his breath catch. Even as he felt a wave of dizziness slam into him as if he was hanging upside down in a waterfall the former-blond frantically went through his memories as if he was a drowning man searching for a life preserver from out of a wreck.

Memories of Orochimaru and Kabuto assaulted Naruto.

Forcing a shallow breath out of his body the boy mentally shouted 'No!' as he threw those thoughts aside.

The raw, red voids that where nothing but echoes of his own pain and misery bloomed around him next.

No!

The faces of Team Seven, his own amoung them.

Naruto wanted to shake himself. No, that was too painful remembering Team Seven made him remember Kakashi with Orochimaru's expression plastered across his uncovered face like some sick joke, Sasuke his eyes gone.

His own corpse hanging mutilated before him.

And of Sakura... of Sakura there was nothing but – Naruto's thoughts screeched to a halt just as he felt him self about to fall into a crescendo of panic.

Sakura. The voice he heard during the fight with the Konoha-nin. What Kabuto had done.

Naruto felt as if he could tear himself apart at the moment for being so... so stupid! What was he now, the Uchiha? Ignoring everything about his teammate as if she was a mute just because he was so tied up in his perceived 'personal' problems!

That stopped Naruto's thoughts once more.

Hearing Sakura's voice inside his own head. Acting like an Uchiha. What Kabuto had done.

Was he even himself anymore?

"Hey Kid." The gruff voice of the stall owner caused Naruto to snap his eyes open and pulled him out of his mental spirals. The old man was reaching his right hand out, most likely in preparation to ruffle the hair of the youngster in front of him, and Naruto flinched back from it as if it was the plague.

The old man just frowned at that and pulled his arm back. Then placed a fresh cup of hot water in front of Naruto with his left hand. The former-blond stared down at the two cups of water before almost incomprehensibly.

The stall owner let out a cough after watching the kid still sit there dazed. "You've been here awhile kid, the first one is already cold." Seeing that he had gotten Naruto's attention the man folder his arms across his chest and leaned back against a waist high railing that separated a thin aisle from the back side of the counter and the kitchen proper. "Name's Nobu kid and I'm about the closest thing to village head around here if you don't count that hag – may her soul find some time to rest in peace sometime this century – that runs our inn." Nobu's words contrasted his attitude as he grinned wryly in the direction of the inn. "Now, anything I should know about you kid? Not going to bring any trouble down on us are yah? This might be the country but things are still hard enough for us out here with Gato having control of the city and all the main shipping lanes now."

Naruto busied himself with sipping from the second mug of water as he collected his thoughts. He hadn't even thought about Gato when he had found himself running towards the Land of Waves after his fight – he had just been going to somewhere he knew and that had the least mental black holes tied to at the time.

Gently placing the cup down Naruto shook his head at the older man. "No." The former-blond's mind raced as he considered whether his answer to both of the stall owner's questions were completely true or not.

"Huh, not much for conversation are yah?" The old man rubbed his hand against the wrinkled lines surrounding his mouth and yawned. "Mind you, I would have expected at least a name out of you kid. You can at least do that right?"

Naruto reflexively opened his month, his declaration of identity on the tip of his tongue when his entire body just froze. As if stuck in some permanent cycle of reboot the young ninja moved his jaw about in silent half syllables and then froze again, all the while his splotchy skin doing its best to pale itself all across the board.

Finally Nartuo looked up at Nobu with a horrified look in his eyes and managed to stutter out. "I-I can-can't...I don't-"

Nobu held up one hand and sighed heavily at this unexpected turn in events from what was turning out to be a rather troublesome and heart wrenching customer. "Kid calm down alright, you got more problems than I think I can even begin to imagine."

Naruto just snapped his mouth shut weakly and stared into the mug of water that he was now clutching almost desperately in hand that were not his but were his none-the-less. The former-blond was crushed. He was Uzumaki Naruto but he couldn't afford to be an Uzumaki and probably not even a Naruto, not anymore.

He hadn't been sure who he was now earlier, but he had at least been able to put a name to himself. Now, he wasn't even sure he could do that.

The old man's mouth set in a firm line and he found himself questioning the ninja system that held up the Elemental Countries if it did stuff like this to nothing more than a kid. Sighing Nobu coughed once more to get Naruto's attention, despite normally serving any foreigners in a professional if brusque manner the old sailor was finding himself going out of his way to keep this kid out of whatever depression was gripping her.

"How about I make you something to eat kid? This is a food shop after all and seeing as you've been here since before dawn I'd say you got the right to cash in on a little customer service, eh?"

Naruto looked up at the offer of food and smiled weakly before shaking his head. "I couldn't, I don't have any money on me and you are running a busi-"

Nobu cut Naruto off again with a raised hand. "I mentioned the name Gato earlier and while you might not know much about the man, something you should know is that ever since he came around almost nobody in Wave has had any money. Half my customers trade ingredients or favours for what they eat and I'm considering whatever I give to you as a favour for keeping me company while the rest of the village is out working." Nobu gave his customer a smile almost worthy of Gai but without the blinding rays of Youthfulness that came off in waves of Konoha's Green Beast before tucking his thumbs through the sash at his waste. "Now, don't give me anymore nonsense kid, just tell me what you'd like and I'll see if I can make it."

Naruto suddenly finding his mouth watering near uncontrollably and the rolling roar of his empty stomach pulling him away from his melancholic thoughts nodded slowly with stars in his eyes at Nobu. "If it could be anything?" Nobu just chuckle as for once the kid before him seemed both earnest and excited. "Miso. Miso ramen and lots of it."

"Yeah, I think I have some noodles around here and the rest of that shouldn't be a problem." Nobu turned towards the kitchen and started rummaging through his supplies. "This is ramen from the Land of Waves kid, that means you'll have as fresh narutomaki as you've ever had in it."

Naruto was happy the old man was turned around as he winced at the mentioning of his namesake being an ingredient in the upcoming dish. The former-blond still wasn't sure how he felt on the whole subject of, well, him. He knew beyond any doubt that it hurt though, but...

It was true that miso ramen just wouldn't be miso ramen without any naruto in it.

"You're pretty awesome for an old guy." Naruto told Nobu as he found himself relaxing some for the first time since he had woken after releasing the Kyuubi. Remembering the mug held between his hands and that it was in fact something he could drink Naruto sipped on the warm water again and felt some of the weariness weighing his body down lessen.

Still under his various counters and working his way through unorganized bags and boxes Nobu thudded the table above him with his back. "Hey, watch it with the age comments kid or I might get a hip injury down here! Then where would we both be, eh? Hungry, sore, and silly feeling is my bet."

Naruto actually let out a laugh at the stall owner's antics, tired though it was, it felt refreshing to just react to the situation around him again instead of being stuck in his own dark thoughts.

"That's better kid. You feel better right?" Nobu smiled and threw a wink Naruto's way as he stood up with the ingredients to make the ramen.

Naruto drank from his mug again, and then upon seeing it get lower than he'd like he poured some water from the original mug – cold though it was – to top himself off. He had been running himself to the limits to get out of Fire country and now that he finally was he needed everything he could get in him to help recoup.

"Right now I guess I could say I've been worse without it being a lie." Naruto responded towards Nobu's question as he placed both mugs back down on the counter.

"That's good kid, and just remember sometimes even if it is a lie it is better to tell it to yourself than give up. You give up and that's that, I don't care what the priests spout I've been around the world a bit in my time on the water and as far as I can tell it is simple: dead's dead." A frown flashed across the older man's face momentarily before he shook it off and continued cooking. "Not that I doubt that's something you don't know. Sailors and ninjas kid, probably the two stupidest and foolhardy professions you can pick out of the whole lot."

Watching and smelling the ramen cook as Nobu worked, Naruto could almost imagine he was back at Ichiraku's and that brought a legitimate smile to his face. "What's that make the two of us then old man?"

Grinning and throwing his head back as he laughed Nobu shaked his head before turning his attention back towards the stove. "Lucky kid, it makes us lucky."

Naruto paused for a moment as he thought about the old man's statement. He didn't completely agree with Nobu there, there was too much hard work put into some things for it all to be completely lucky. But, to a certain degree it was true and you could never plan for everything.

That was one of the hardest lessons Naruto had learned.

"Alright kid, one miso ramen coming up!" Nobu called cheerfully as he ladled the ramen and broth into a faded old bowl. As he turned though with the delicious creation in his hand his eyes widened in shock and all of a sudden a dark streak blurred past the old man.

Naruto's eyes followed the dark streak to hear and see a quivered kunai thud into the back of the stall's wall. Switching his attention back towards Nobu, Naruto was shocked to see a deep cut run across the old sailor's cheek and through one ear. The old man had somehow managed to not lose control of the bowl of ramen and it had been half-tossed, half-placed back next to the stove as he clutched at the wound as it wept blood.

Watching the scarlet stream of fluid fall down Nobu's face, down the face of the first person to be kind to him since he had come back, Naruto's eyes dilated and all of a sudden his mind's eye painted more and more wounds across the man's face covering it in blood.

Naruto could see Nobu turn towards him, his mouth moving – saying something – but the former-blond was too shocked as he watched invisible blades descend upon the stall's owner.

His eyes filled with blood and then were wrenched from their sockets.

Naruto swore he could see brains oozing out from between Nobu's sparse hair.

His mouth opened once more, blood trailing out from it and down his chin, and something reached for his tongue and-

"Kid, damn it, run!" Nobu's shout reached Naruto's ears and shattered the scene he had been imagining. The old man was reaching out towards him with one hand while he reached for one of his knives with the other – the one wound, the only wound that was on his face still bleeding but forgotten.

"Too late." Another voice spoke from right behind Naruto, deep and filled with savage glee. Then, a hand roughly grasped him by the shoulder and Naruto found himself staring into the masked and horned visage of Meizu of the Demon Brothers. His long, wildly spiked hair was full of grease and dirt and smelled of nothing more than blood.

Meizu tightened his grip on Naruto's shoulder and brought his clawed and gauntleted left hand to caress it's way around – just barely keeping the poisoned weapon from touching the younger ninja's skin – the former-blond's face as Meizu forced a dry chuckle out from behind his mask. "Look I found Gozu, we'll be picking up a new... toy as a prize for this mission. Don't you think that's just wonderful?"

Gozu, who had moved and grabbed Nobu, disarmed the old sailor by grabbing the hand the stall keeper had picked up the knife in with his bare hand and then squeezed hard enough to produce an audible crack. Turning to his brother the smooth haired man shook his head at his brother.

"We're to make an example of the cook while everyone else is out and then leave Meizu. This is a job to make these people not forget that Gato owns them, not a pleasure jaunt." Gozu's voice was even and lighter, with none of the black savagery of his brother's but instead pure, cold violence floating behind it instead.

Tightening his grip on Naruto even more Meizu swiped his gauntlet away from the former-blond and out to his side in a fury as he snarled. "Fine!" The missing-nin then bent his head down close enough that Naruto could feel the man's mask touching his head. "We are going to tear your friend there to pieces while you watch, and then leave you here crying over the wreckage with us disappeared as if we had been nothing more than mist."

Cackling madly Meizu pushed Naruto away from him with a one-armed shove. "How do you feel about that then girly?"

_And there we go, another chapter. I know I'm late (three days late in fact), but I make the excuse that I sliced off part of my thumb while making dinner a few days ago while making dinner. That kinda made typing a pain._

_Were the onions worth it you ask? I don't know, they kinda got overpowered by all the peppers I used._

_Anyway, I owe all you grand fellows some chapters plus what I claim to be my schedule. As always thank you to all my reviewers, followers and favouriteers that I've thanked in the previous chapter and to: DSchmidt, Clams-and-Rainbows, 10th Squad 3rd Seat, Read n Run, Starrie Wolf, bookimp, kanabaka1, and megatoescorpse01._

_As always PM me or review the story and I shall respond within the best of my abilities._


	4. Chapter 4

_Author Note: Disclaimer, no contents of Naruto have been thought up or invented by me. This is purely a work of fan fiction and is not meant for promotional or finical endeavors. This is meant to be made in respect and admiration for Massashi Kishimoto's series and all the content of Naruto are property of Massashi Kishimoto._

_Please respect the fans, and fandom of the series by remaining polite and open minded while reading._

Naruto rolled as he hit the ground tumbling and recovered from the shove, ending his movements poised calmly in a crouch a few feet away from the two Mist missing-nin. Looking at Meizu and Gozu, Naruto could feel a burgeoning growl in his throat as his anger bubbled through all his earlier frustration and confusion.

From his current position the former-blond found his newly found foul mood clearing his mind, sharpening it into a razor edge for the fight to come as he watched Meizu coo mockingly and waggle his eyebrows in surprise that a "girly" like Naruto could roll with even a simple blow from the egotistical missing-nin. This was a battle Naruto held no qualms about and he could start to feel his blood to pump faster at the idea that he could fully test out the new him.

First things first though the young ninja reminded himself as he stood up and placed the most natural feeling smiling he had managed to muster since he came back across his face. Looking past Meizu and Gozu, Naruto caught Nobu's eyes with his own and nodded to the older man. "Eh, sorry I didn't get to try your cooking while it was hot old man – I'm sure it is good – but there isn't nothing to really worry about, right? We can always start again later."

Gozu, who had so far kept his face steadied and as stiff and cold as possible, twitched upon hearing the strange girl so casually dismiss his brother and him. Tightening his hold on the old man and wrenching his arm behind his back some more the calmer Mist-nin turned a cold stare towards Naruto. "I don't know how you've gotten this far as stupid as you must be to act like this right now girl, but you've finally run out of luck today." Lifting his gauntleted arm Gozu clenched his hand into a fist and then flexed, causing the long bladed chain that connected him to his brother to disconnect. "Meizu, it seems we do have more time than I originally thought. Teach our young friend how badly she has been mistaken."

Naruto barely had time to react as Gozu's words unleashed his wild haired brother upon him like a starved beast. Despite what the weapons must have weighed Meizu's leading strike with the heavy gauntlet and its poison covered blades was fast and took every bit of skill the former-blond possessed to dodge.

Naruto himself wasn't completely inactive as he dodged though and before his opponent could come at him with another strike he finished off the hand seals he had been going through and popped a trio of shadow clones into existence. Two of the pair just shook their heads at their boss and muttered about how some idiot was going to get himself killed before placing themselves between Gozu and the rest of the fight.

The third clone rushed Meizu and managed to steal a kunai off the Mist-nin and toss it back to the real Naruto before it exploded into a puff of smoke upon being smashed in the side with the missing-nin's gauntlet.

Upon seeing his target now armed and toting rather more impressive skills than he would have expected Meizu's eyes squint down to nothing but slits and the man hunkered down into an actual fighting stance.

Naruto smirked at his opponents actions and sudden reversal in attitude as he flipped his newly found kunai into an underhanded grip, his attention split between his current opponent and checking to see if Gozu was still content to stand with old man Nobu as Naruto and his brother fought.

The entire village was quiet, the inn having long since slammed the shudders closed and the workers hidden themselves away, and the stall-keeper with his back arched and face contorted in pain but refusing to make a sound as the strangest customer he had ever had stood between two missing-nin and the outcome of his life.

Even the seagulls seemed to have made themselves scarce as all of a sudden two waves of killing intent blossomed out from the center of the village.

The wilder half of the Demon Brothers had a look of clear surprise painted across what was visible of his face as the "girly" he had thrown about like a rag doll matched or even unbelievably beat him in her willingness to take his life.

Naruto, seeing his opponent almost freeze up, took the initiative and leaped into a charge, his fingers spinning his kunai back around so it was held point forward, aiming to stab Meizu straight through the throat and end things as quickly as possible.

The blow missed killing the wild haired man and only gouged a long furrow out of his cheek as Meizu ducked and dodged to the side. Naruto stopped his failed charge and spun with his target catching the man in the side with a roundhouse kick that sent him flying and ruined the counterattack he had been attempting.

As Meizu rolled across the ground from a blow that mirrored his own shove in result Gozu pulled out his own kunai and slammed it into the cloth of Nobu's shirt, pinning him to his stall, as the missing-nin stepped forward.

The wilder Demon Brother picked himself up, blood running down his cheek, and spit out a crimson glob. Tearing his gaze away from Naruto, Meizu snarled at his brother and shook his head, before turning his attention back towards his opponent. "You. Girly, you are just going to have to die first now."

Naruto, his kunai flipped back in the underhanded position only shrugged at the threat. "You can try." Was all the teen managed to say before his opponent was moving again, gauntlet stretched out for an attack.

Sighing as it seemed that the two brothers didn't have much surprising to them than what he had expected from his memories of first dealing with them Naruto formed another shadow clone and had it catch Meizu's attack while slipped Naruto himself slipped through the man's defenses – forcing Meizu's other hand out of the way with his elbow – and drove his fist directly into the man's abdomen.

The chakra infused blow once again sent the wild man flying and Naruto danced backwards from where he had attacked, his attention still split between the current fight and the pair of his clones watching Gozu.

Naruto paused as he felt a dampness at the back of his neck and then his eyes widened as a thick wall of fog rolled past him, turning the figures in front of him into indistinct blurs. In a flash his two clones were back next to him, the three green-vested identical figures taking up a defensive posture.

"You think you could have made us after you got that Kunai boss?" The clone to Naruto's left complained as its eyes attempted to search out their targets in the thickening mist.

"I'd hit him for you if I could boss, he's been going on and on constantly since you put us off to the side." The clone to Naruto's right spoke in turn. "You don't think, yah know, _he_ could be here right boss? It is just the Dumb Brothers, right?"

Naruto needed no prompting to know who his clone was talking about and hoped beyond belief that this was just an unlucky but natural fog that decided to pay the town a little visit.

Things like that did happen after all.

Momochi Zabuza didn't have to be somewhere for there to be an entire wall of rolling mist.

The group tensed and then moved in response to two blurs coming towards them. Naruto slashed out with his Kunai as the blur coming towards him materialized itself into the form of Meizu attacking him once again. As soon as the weapon's blade ran across the wild figure's stomach his enemy's entire body lost colour and fell apart into nothing but splashes of water.

As Naruto dispatched the clone he heard a similar sound of falling water from the direction of his clones and frowned.

"This sucks boss." One clone said as the three of them formed back into their defensive position. Naruto found himself completely unsure if this was the one that had originally been on his left or his right.

"I think I might actually hate ninja, but then again I am you so I doubt it boss." The other clone said as it simply shrugged and remained on the look out for another attack.

Four more blurs came in from two different directions. As the figures came into full view this time it was two pairs or both Meizu and Gozu, their gauntlets linked and ready to wrap around the small defensive group in front of them.

Naruto's clones moved to intercept their pair first and Naruto soon followed. Hearing another exclamation of frustrated from his two clones and the sound of water splashing against the ground Naruto steeled himself to meet what had to be the real Meizu and Gozu.

When his Kunai struck one and he caught the other with a snap kick though the figures once again lost all colour and fell apart as nothing more than water.

Frowning, Naruto returned to his position with the clones, who for once remained quietly and were just as tense as the original.

Scanning his eyes around their position Naruto tried to figure out for the life of him why the Demon Brother's would waste their advantage just to assault him with clones that did relatively little to wear him down and couldn't actually hurt him. All they had managed to do was leave a ring of water around his position.

Naruto's mind racing back to the surprise tactic the Brother's had used when he had first fought them. Mentally berating himself for not realizing what was coming the former-blond slammed himself into the ground just as Gozu and Meizu sprung forth from opposite sides of the puddle of water and speared his clones with their gauntlets.

The two brothers then retreated back into the mist before the smoke from his clones dissipating had even blown away.

Standing back up Naruto checked his chakra reserves, which still seemed to hold enough for plenty more shadow clones, before forming the first hand sign for the forbidden technique.

"Crush their bones." Meizu's voice echoed out both savage and eery from somewhere in the mist.

Naruto paused in forming his hand signs as he tried his best to locate wherever the enemy ninja was. The fog made it almost impossible though and faint reverberations of his voice still rang back at Naruto as he searched.

"You must have been a genin, I'm right aren't I my young friend?" This time Gozu's voice came from out of the fog, clearer and echoing less but no less untraceable. "You have brutish strength and one good technique but nothing else. You should have spent more time with your teacher."

Naruto did his best to squash images of Kakashi and Team Seven as the Demon Brother's did their best to make an opening for themselves. He had suffered worse and was still walking around.

"Flay their flesh." Meizu's voice boomed out and echoed everywhere once more.

Naruto concentrated on forming the hand signs for his shadow clones as images of uncovered and blood slick muscles attach to the bodies of his teammates, of himself tried to attack his mind.

"What would make a genin turn into a missing-nin? It couldn't be the actions of the village, you'd be too low on the food chain to even care or know anything too important." Gozu's voice smooth voice started again, riding the end of his brother's short statement. "What could it be? Was it shame? Cowardice? Guilt? Was that why you couldn't learn anymore, did you get them all killed?"

Naruto gulped and shook his head as he reigned control of himself and went back to his hand signs, he decided he would summon enough clones to bury Meizu and Gozu. They'd see how effective their mist was then.

"Burn their eyes." Meizu's called out to himself what seemed like a hundred times and with unbridled glee.

This time though Gozu's voice didn't follow up as his brother's died down and Naruto began to rush through the last signs as an attack was surely coming. Something smacked wetly against the ground below him and Naruto's eyes darted downwards and then rooted themselves there.

A bloody ear with a nick in it lay on the ground before him.

Naruto's hands stopped forming their signs as they curled into fists. They'd cut off old man Nobu's ear. They'd thrown the kind old sailor's ear at him to taunt him. They had threatened to kill the stall-keeper, but he could of stopped that, but now they'd gone and done something irrevocable.

Naruto's shoulder shook in rage as he brought his arms up, but his hands remained steady as they went through a series of different signs. The former-blond realized he should of done this sooner as it either would have ended things earlier or put things back to his advantage at least.

"It is too bad, you could have been good no doubt, but you are nothing but a genin." Gozu's voice finally called once more and laughed. "A one trick pony doesn't have a chance to stand up to even the wind in a real battle between ninja.

Naruto ignored the man's taunts as he finished the technique, fire filling his chest once again, as he brought his hand up towards his mouth.

"You are finished!" Meizu's voice shouted from above Naruto, this time his position clear as day as the Mist-nin came in for a surprise killing blow from above.

Naruto only jerked his head upwards as the blur of the enemy ninja came closer to him. "Katon: Grand Fireball!"

Not as big as the one he had released when escaping the forest outside of Konoha the technique still blocked Meizu's descending shadow from view before the explosive ball of fire nature chakra launched itself in the air to meet the missing-nin's attack.

Naruto jumped backwards even as his attack left his mouth. When the fireball exploded above him the former-blond was already attempting to find his second target as the hot wind generated from the technique pushed back the mist around him.

His eyes locked onto an injured Gozu landing further down the street with the burnt form of his brother held in his arms. The wilder of the two Demon Brothers had lost much of his hair and had his clothes burnt from his body, but was clearly alive if unconscious.

Naruto found that he almost snarled at that.

Gozu ripped off his cloak and placed it carefully over his brother before looking down the street from his position at Naruto.

"You'll pay for that." Was all the straight haired Demon Brother said before flipping an already bloody kunai in his hand around into an underhanded grip.

Naruto in turn held his stolen kunai out in front of him similarly and nodded towards Gozu. "The same right back at yah."

The two flashed across the street at the same time, closing the ground between them in an instant. They met with a loud clash of kunai and Naruto attempted to knock his opponent down with a sweep of his leg.

Gozu responded by forcing Naruto's kunai way from his in a surge of strength and then hopping over the attack to his legs before slashing at the former-blond with his bladed gauntlet. Naruto angled his body toward the Mist-nin's and managed to catch his swipe on his blade before throwing a vicious uppercut that slammed into the underside of the older ninja's extended arm with a sickening crack.

Gozu grunted and lurched backwards, his gauntleted arm now hanging limply at the shoulder.

Naruto didn't allow the man to gather his wits and instead pressed on, batting aside Gozu's uninjured arm and slamming a straight punch into his jaw that sent him spinning through the air and sliding into the dust beside his brother.

Naruto lowered his arm and finally let his killing intent fall as he watched Gozu struggle to get back to his feet. The missing nin's mask was broken into two pieces and lay on the ground. Blood rain from the man's now unmasked face and he was covered in dust and scratches.

"You almost had me thinking I was wrong. Thinking that you weren't just a genin." Gozu coughed as his voice croaked out. "You're annoying strong for a genin, girly and you'll become a ninja some time soon, but." Gozu drew his last word out and then with a snap he cut it off as he good arm blurred. As his kunai sped off towards its target Gozu fell backward exhausted. "I'm a ninja already kid, and missing-nin or no I accepted a mission."

Naruto felt time stop around him, his eyes locking onto the kunai that was horrifyingly not aimed at him. The former-blond dashed forward and threw his own kunai only to watch it miss the other weapon, doing nothing to alter its deadly course.

Naruto's gaze switched over to look at the old sailor. Old man Nobu was doing his best to struggle, but he was pinned to the wall of his own shop with multiple knives and his movements did nothing but cut into his back and spread his blood across his own wall.

The old man's eyes caught Naruto's and he looked towards the bowl of now cold ramen sitting untouched next to where he had cooked food for his village everyday of his life for the last twenty years. The man chuckled and let a sad smile cross his face as he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry you didn't get to taste my cooking kid."

Naruto's feet sent the dirt and gravel of the street flying as he stopped himself. Unwilling to run on, unwilling to move closer as his eyes sat transfixed at the scene of Nobu's body pinned against the wall surrounded by a halo of blood. His eyes closed and peaceful.

The kunai sprouting straight out from the center of his neck, blood pumping in waves around its edges.

Naruto felt like he could puke. He felt useless. He failed despite winning the fight soundly. He had been stupid. He needed... something, anything that would make the horrible truth of what had just happened go away.

A friend to make the pain lessen.

Or vengeance to give response to what had hurt him.

Turning on his heel Naruto felt his face curl in rage as he looked at the two ninja that had killed Nobu for nothing more than money from an egotistical maniac. Gozu had struggled to his knees and pulled out another knife to try and defend himself but his face was set in a grim mask despite being uncovered and it was clear he knew he had only a small chance.

Naruto snarled at that thought, it wasn't good enough. The only member of the Demon Brothers that was still conscious needed to feel hopeless just before he died. He needed to feel the fear of an undeniable death that they had made old man Nobu feel.

Naruto held his right hand pointed towards the ground before him, his left holding his arm right above the wrist, as he gathered his chakra and forced it all down into a single point in his hand. He wasn't forming a rasengan, it didn't feel anywhere near the same, but the former-blond knew reflexively that in this case this was the technique he wanted to use.

His chakra ran down his arm with a jolt and there was pain but also a blistering amount of power that gathered in that one point in his hand before it blossom out into a crackling fury of pure white light.

It was as if birds were singing all around him.

It was the chidori.

Looking from the 1-ranked assassination technique pulsing in his hand towards Gozu, Naruto saw what he needed to see as the long haired man's eyes widened and the kunai he had readied dropped from a slack hand. The battered member of the Demon Brothers had been defeated, and now he been broken and was ready to die.

Naruto charged forward his left arm holding his right steady as the energy chirped and pulsed wildly around his hand. He extended his arm outwards, pointed towards Gozu and knowing the man's death would come soon.

The former-blond's attack was cut short as the chidori screeched, almost as if in pain, as it attempted to force its way past whatever obstacle it had encountered. As the technique released its payload against the expanse of steel that appeared before Naruto the young ninja ninja winced as his hand cracked against the heated slab of metal that had stopped him.

Stumbling backwards, his left arm now craddling his right from the damage the chidori's failed assault had caused, Naruto fell to the ground as he recognized what had stopped him.

Sunk in to the ground before him with only a thin scratch on it from stopping an A-rank assassination technique was the kubikiribocho.

The sword of Momochi Zabuza.

The man himself, wearing his black tank top and bandages, landed on the pommel of his blade shortly after. He folded his arms across his chest and stared down directly at the tired and sweat covered ninja before him.

_I know I'm apologizing again right after I did so last time, but I'm sorry once more for the chapters I promised you all were due. I forgot I had to go out of town to see my cardiologist so I was busy and didn't have time to write anything, a failure I've obviously since remedied._

_On a note of the cardiologist; I'm fine though I did learn I had had a psuedoaneurysm some time last year that thankfully healed itself with no need of surgery._

_Thank you again to my long time supporters and readers and thank you to all the new people to. You've all given me an unbelievable amount of views and it does much to put a smile on my face. Sadly since the review, favourites, and follows count is rising at a higher right now I'm going to go ahead and cut off that practice here on this chapter so I do not start making these notes too long with them. _

_As always feel free to PM me and if I haven't answered any reviews as of yet I will do so soon._


	5. Chapter 5

_Author Note: Disclaimer, no contents of Naruto have been thought up or invented by me. This is purely a work of fan fiction and is not meant for promotional or finical endeavors. This is meant to be made in respect and admiration for Massashi Kishimoto's series and all the content of Naruto are property of Massashi Kishimoto._

_Please respect the fans, and fandom of the series by remaining polite and open minded while reading._

Naruto's body tensed, the shaking muscles of his right arm forcing themselves still, his fingers raking into the dirt below his body, his jaw setting firmly as his mouth clicked closed.

The rage was leaving him now, the former-blond's mind clearing slowly as he gulped in deep breaths of air.

The old man was dead and his attempt to avenge him had been completely dismantled.

Worst of all Naruto realized his he still was taking in air in huffs and puffs was that he was tired. Exhausted beyond belief. There was no way he would be able to get up and continue the fight, not even against Gozu.

Which meant fighting Momochi Zabuza was definitely out of the question.

Refusing to show the weakness he felt in every part of his body, Naruto locked eyes with the legendary Mist-nin before him. Zabuza's responding stare was cool and disinterested in stark contrast to the furious glare he was receiving from the young ninja before him.

Naruto tried to muster his anger once again. Anger at the death of Nobu. Anger at how even with bandages covering the lower half of Zabuza's face Naruto could tell the man was dismissing him.

It was a futile chain of thoughts. The former-blond was spent, he had given everything his new body would allow him to give already. Hunger, pain, and lack of sleep had caught up with Naruto now and despite the fact that he should be fighting every inch of his body ached for him to just fall backwards with a sigh and rest.

Despite all his efforts to stay defiant Zabuza most have found some signs of the exhaustion that permeated Naruto's entire being in his face as the missing-nin was the first to break eye contact, his eyes not even watching for movement as he turned his head towards the subordinates he had saved.

Knowing this was a critical moment Naruto pulled on his nature to never give up and to waste no chance and snapped to his feet.

It hurt, but pain was easy and soon escape would not be. Almost stumbling as he gained the ground beneath him Naruto's mind raced as he tried to predict how fast Zabuza would react as he took his first few quick steps backwards.

He didn't have to think long as two arms clad in thick, billowing teal sleeves almost elegantly slipped under his arms and then pulled up and trapped him tightly from behind. A gleaming senbon needle pointed directly at his face bloomed in Naruto's vision and he could feel the slick surface of a Hunter-nin's mask pressing against the back of his head.

"It would be pleasant if you too did not have to die here." The voice that spoke was soft, even softer than the voice Naruto now possessed, and was as calm as the water of a chilled winter pond.

Haku.

Naruto's mind whispered the name to him and all the sorrow he had long since associated with it. The former-blond wanted to curse Zabuza a thousand times over as even if he did have the strength for it he would not, could not struggle against the odd boy who was holding him captive. He had already caused enough hurt to him in one life.

Naruto finally did sigh as he allowed himself to be supported by the grip trapping him before turning his attention back towards Zabuza. The missing-nin hadn't even bothered to look Naruto's way since he had moved, his confidence in his apprentice making any such action unnecessary in his mind.

The fearsome mist-nin was instead looking towards the Demon Brothers, obviously speaking to the conscious Gozu but his words not being spoken loud enough to reach where Haku and Naruto stood. Gozu had his head bowed as Zabuza spoke, but the swordsman quickly threw his arm out in a horizontal sweep of anger most likely followed by a sharp command that forced the man to look up at him with his bloodied face.

The conversation was short and obviously one-sided as Gozu only nodded towards whatever his master said, before smiling and pulling bandages from out of his kit and turning to attend to his brother.

Zabuza turned his head back towards where his apprentice now stood with Naruto. The man's face was still blank and unreadable as he twisted off his perch and slung his blade out from the earth and back onto his back with one smooth movement.

"Haku." The missing-nin's deep voice rumbled as he walked towards the two.

"Zabuza-sama." Responded the voice from behind Naruto. With one swift motion Naruto was once again released, stumbling with the effort of holding himself up again. He didn't hear the swordsman's apprentice move behind him, but something in his senses told him Haku had silently taken a few steps away from him.

"Shark-toothed freak." Naruto held back the urge to raise his eyebrows in surprised concert along with Zabuza as he found himself speaking. When he thought about his reaction though he just shrugged at the missing-nin standing in front of him. "At least you aren't blue."

"Interesting." Was all Zabuza responded with in a dead-pan voice, though Naruto got the impression that he had actually had to suppress the urge to laugh at what he had said. "Is this how he taught you to try and delay an interrogation girl?"

Naruto blinked owlishly at Zabuza's question, a clear look of confusion coming across his face as it wasn't at all what he expected. "What?"

Zabuza vocalized what could have been a growl or a sigh, and was most likely a compromise between the two. "That fake expression is good kid, but you've already gone and painted your identity out for me. Maybe if the copy-nin's laziness hadn't rubbed off on you or you hadn't gone in for a flashy kill like you had you'd be able to get away with keeping it a secret – you'd done a good job up until now anyway, all reports I've ever gotten hands say there is no way you should exist."

As Naruto's mind caught up to where Zabuza's had already arrived he found himself gulping miserably. It would have been really nice if he could have pulled off escaping from the Mist-nin as this current situation was worse than anything he could have imagined.

"Hatake Kakashi has never trained any ninja." Naruto managed to speak the words without flinching and in a deadpan voice of his own as long as he didn't think to hard about it. As long as he just kept his head on his current situation it wouldn't hurt.

"Huh, and here I had heard he had just been slotted with three fresh new genin. I guess not all of us can be kept up on the most current intelligence though." Zabuza spoke the words as casually as he could, but Naruto couldn't help but react to them. It was just a twitch of the eyes as he found out exactly how far back he was now.

It was also enough of a reaction for the mist-nin to know he was down the right track.

Zabuza paced in a half-circle in front of Naruto, taking a good look at the body the former-blond was in before stopping in front of him again. "You are an odd kid, you know that girl? Your skin for one. And for a kunoichi your age having hair just one step away from imitating a monk is a bit more than anyone would expect."

Naruto was confused once more where the mist-nin was going. The former-blond had grown up with people having problems with the way he looked and even though he personally admitted that he looked even weirder now it wasn't really something he saw as a problem.

"Three individual chakra signatures too." Zabuza spoke the statement in the same voice he had the rest of his observations, but this one did not fail to catch Naruto's attention. The younger ninja had a look of utter shock on his face. "Could be a bloodline kid, but you can't use two of them worth crap so I doubt it is something you grew being used to."

Zabuza paused for a moment and despite the bandages covering his face Naruto absolutely knew that the mist-nin's face was taking on a wicked expression.

"Hatake Kakashi trained by the Fourth Hokage of Konoha." Zabuza crossed his arms over his black clad chest. "Which makes it so the rest of the ninja world figures he would take after the Toad Sannin if he does share any of the traits of the Legendary Three. But, seeing you kid. Watching you use the chidori like that there is no doubt you are his apprentice and if you take all the problems you seem to be carrying around you – the rage, the black thoughts, that body of yours – and compound that with the fact that you fight more with clones and elemental attacks than anything else –"

Zabuza paused once again and Naruto was now sure beyond any other belief of the sadistic grin the legendary swordsman must be sporting under his bandages. The former-blond also knew where the mist-nin's mind was going and there was no way he was going to let it go there.

"– one might think there should be another name associated with Konoha's Copy Nin. One a bit less slimy and much more scalely."

Naruto moved between one blink of the eye and the next. His left hand was extended out like a knife at Zabuza's knife in order to keep him from finished his train of thoughts. To keep him from ever connecting Orochimaru and Kakashi together.

It had happen from when Naruto had originally come and now that he had gone back he would kill to keep the idea from even being born here.

Naruto's hand stopped just a scant few centimetres from slamming into Zabuza's throat and silencing him. The younger ninja's action had only been arrested by the fact that had he moved any further forward he would of plunged his own neck onto the point of one of Haku's senbon needles.

Zabuza for his part didn't keep speaking his mind but instead stood still as if nothing had happened and then finally let out a series of rolling, rumbling laughs. The mist-nin grabbed Naruto's wrist in an instant and guided his hand back to his side effortlessly and then similarly displaced Haku and his weapon away from Naruto.

"You got spirit kid." Momochi said in a low voice before turning back his attention back behind to where Gozu had bandaged his brother and slung him over one shoulder. "Gozu move ahead of us and see that Meizu wakes quickly – you both have a job coming up soon."

Gozu spared Naruto – who was still trapped in place by Zabuza's iron grip on his arm – one last hateful glance before nodded to his leader and speeding off in leaping arcs, his brother over one shoulder.

Zabuza finally decided to take a look at the street around him. The last of the mist had completely cleared after Naruto's fireball and the sight of Nobu dead was clear to the whole town. As the legendary swordsman glanced at the buildings around him his eyes would stop dead at places where a few brave townswomen had come to peer through the slits between shutters.

"Remember what happened today." Zabuza did not shout, but his voice rolled over the entire village no less. "You have resisted, you have complained, and you have even in a small part rebelled. Tell your men, if they come back from this day at sea at all, that they should be pleased to not have drowned in blood this day and that the death of their Leader is the least they should have expected for their actions."

Zabuza's free hand slid along the familiar handle of his sword as he paused and scanned the area around him again.

"For as long as I take breath in this country remember that your lives are not your own, are not even Gato's, but mine – to take take, to leave, and to reap as I or my men please."

Naruto who was still struggled against the grip that held him got hit with a sense of vertigo as he was picked up around his midsection and held in an underslung grip by Zabuza like nothing more than a barrel.

"Don't hold your breath kid." The rumbling voice told Naruto as if he was the missing-nin's to command. "We'll be running for a while."

"Zabuza-sama I could take the prisoner." Haku's voice piped up from behind Naruto.

Zabuza didn't say a word but just tightened his hold around his even harder struggling passenger and started to walk down the village lane to the woods where the Demon Brothers had disappeared. Haku seemed to understand this silence as the boy sped up and passed Naruto – who was not surprised to see the ice-wielder still decked out as a Hunter-nin mask and all just as he remembered – and Zabuza to go and scout for his master.

When they reached past the first line of trees in the woods Naruto was surprised to see his captor stop. Turning his head he saw Zabuza reaching up to remove his bandages. As the first few coils fell from around his mouth the man stopped and ripped the material just before it started to wrap around his neck.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something sarcastic about the man and his shark-tooth and him taking time to tend to his appearance when Zabuza thrust the wadded up ball of bandage in the former-blond's mouth.

"So you can't try and kill yourself kid. Spit it out and we'll be stopping and you'll just be getting it shoved right back in there, dirt, sticks, and who knows whatever else ends up smeared about it too."

Naruto already practically gagging on the taste of the sweat soaked bandage alone just nodded his head and muttered a muffled curse at Zabuza as the missing-nin picked up the pace.

Breathing through his nose like it was the only choice he had left in the universe Naruto wished he could curse some and be understood as he tested and once again found the mist-nin's hold on him to be easily up to the match of his own exhausted reserves of strength.

_You aren't getting anywhere now, haven't been for the last twenty minutes either, and probably won't be getting us anywhere in the next twenty so why don't you just stop! Idiot!_

Sakura? Naruto's mind swirled as the voice rang out in his head once more. He felt a ping of indignation at the words – it hadn't been anywhere near twenty minutes he had struggled yet, thank you very much! – along with the euphoria of happiness.

_The Old Geezer's wizened brass balls! You can hear me again idiot?_

Naruto winced at the voices choice of words. It definitely sounded like Sakura on one had, but on the other it really didn't _sound_ like her at all. It also hurt to hear her voice calling him an idiot again, he had thought they'd gotten to a point where that only happened when he had actually been one recently.

_Can you really say you haven't been one in less than the last twenty-four hours?_

Naruto felt surprise, and a bit of annoyed agreement, at the voice's pointed question. Not only was it somewhat right, it also meant that anything he thought was heard by the voice and could be responded to. He was used to the Fox which only got the parts he wanted to get, this whole experience was strange territory to him.

_That's because I'm not sealed up in your belly like the dumb ass fuzzball, but in your head. I swear you are such an idi-_

The voice cut off abruptly and Naruto's heart almost stopped and he could feel panic setting in. He had just found one of his friends again, and if they were in his head like he was in Sakura's body then losing them again just as fast didn't make any sense at all!

Unless, Naruto thought as his pupils dilated, he was going really, really crazy.

_Ah, crap! Look idi- Naruto you aren't going crazy._

Naruto expected the voice to go on some more and became slightly worried by its long pause.

_Probably not anymore than you had already become at least. But! Don't worry about that. Not right now._

Naruto nodded mentally to Sakura's sound advice as he looked over towards Zabuza leaping through the underbrush once more. The man was mostly ignoring him, but that didn't mean if he tried anything he would keep on doing so.

_Another thing, ah, before you get your hopes up. I'm not really Sakura –_

Naruto heart raced at that, if the voice wasn't Sakura then – the boy's torture induced paranoia kicked in and enough killing intent started leaking off him to even get a grunt of attention and slowing of speed from Zabuza.

_Ah, crap, crap, crap! You idiot if I could hit you right now! I am, or at least was, just a __**part**__of Sakura. I'm her but not the whole her – er, look just calm down it is complicated! Stupid, idiot, get us killed I'll...hit...so hard...idiot._

Naruto now thoroughly confused calmed down and quickly plunged his rage back down where it had come from that Zabuza picked up his pace again and ignored it as if nothing had happened. The missing-nin did show off his displeasure though by letting a thin stick whip Naruto in the face as he passed to close to a tree.

Convinced by the voices muttering promises of violence more than anything else that it was Sakura, or like it said at least a part of her, and not some last minute torture concocted by Kabuto and Orichimaru Naruto found himself lost how to take the situation. He had never known Sakura even had parts to her – did that make her some sort of weird jinchuriki?

_NO! Oh kami, no! Look Naruto, I was just normal me, but just with, er more me to me? Wow, I'm happy this never had to be explained before. Okay, no matter how crazy it sounds just accept yah idiot!_

Naruto nodded sagely to himself in his mind, yeah that was definitely some kind of Sakura yelling at him. No one else was that good at doing it than her. Which if it was part of her, did that mean the rest of the Sakura and even all of the Uchiha from his time were in his head somewhere?

_Hey! None of that "the Sakura" alright! And, I don't... don't really know about the rest of the question. It is a mess in here. We all had a number done on us and more back – well, just before. We really need Ino's dad in here._

Before Naruto could respond to the somewhat-Sakura's request he abruptly felt the lack of movement from around him and shook his head and refocused his vision.

Zabuza pushed Naruto from his hold and to his feet while muttering something about how the "kid" could at least be a little less relaxed as a captive.

Naruto just reflexively shrugged at the man's words without looking back, his attention instead focused on the hut-like structure that was suspended above the ground and held up by a myriad of cables attached to the surrounded trees.

The building was huge and was some kind of combination of a hut and an upside down cone. The only word that really described it most aptly would be that of 'fortress'. Craning his neck upwards Naruto could see dark spots dotting the buildings side as it ran upwards, each with a bridge stretching off elsewhere through the trees connected to them.

With that many exits escape should be easy.

Turning his attention back to the ground level as Zabuza pushed him forward Naruto took stock of the long, winding ramp that lead up into the fortress, it had no ramp.

Two rough looking bandits – most likely somewhere in their forties by their well receded hair line and salt and pepper beards – guarded the bottom entrance. Both wore rudimentary armour and had sheathed katanas thrust through dark sashes. Haku, standing before the two guards, had apparently been stopped before being allowed up.

The guard on right scratched around the eye patch covering up the left side of his face as Zabuza approached and then spit. "Thought you said you'd be out only a lick for whipping up on an old fisherman."

Naruto found himself stopping involuntarily as he caught the leer the guard on the left was throwing his way.

_Would Momochi care if we killed that cocksucker?_

Finding his mind quite in agreement with that of his psuedo-Sakura's, Naruto was surprised when Zabuza pushed past him with a glare and Haku took up position behind the former-blond's back.

"We're going up, if your boss has a problem with how I ran my operation get him to come say it to my face." As he finished speaking Zabuza looked towards the two bandits' swords and snorted before pushing past them.

Naruto, without much of a choice with Haku behind him, followed the swordsman up. As the thin ramp flexed beneath each footfall Naruto shivered. He was tired but in no way could afford a misstep at the moment.

Hearing one of the guards behind them hock up a wad phlegm and then spit followed by his compatriot make some joke about "freaks" followed by hacks of laughter though made Naruto perversely thankful for his current company.

_Blarg, blarg, blah, blah. I've been busy. Had some unhealthiness run around the family and I've also been putting in a ceiling. Then some car troubles and a bunch of other crap you don't want to hear about._

_I hope this one was enjoyable. I've had a pretty bad rate of hemorrhage in viewers after the first chapter (which I pretty much suspected) but to you few a hundred or so thanks for the continuing support._

_As always PM and review as you please._


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